Dollar Tree in Forest Grove faces $37K fine for 'willful' safety violation

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division has fined a Dollar Tree store in Forest Grove for stacking boxes more than 7 feet high, exposing employees to serious injury if the boxes fell.

The store now faces a $37,500 fine after the division found that the store had not fixed the problem despite it being marked as a serious hazard on June 22. Oregon OSHA called it a “willful violation.”

According to the division’s records, a confidential complaint said the store’s employer had left the hazard unaddressed after the first visit. After failing to offer sufficient documentation that the problem was fixed, Oregon OSHA paid the store another visit.

OSHA requirements state that all merchandise should be stored below the maximum height so that it is secure from falling or collapsing. However, employee interviews and store documents shared that the hazard had only been briefly fixed until it returned to the same danger level.

One employee tried to fix the towering stacks but was trapped around the waist when the boxes fell. A coworker helped get them out, and Oregon OSHA heard of the incident during its second inspection.

The division determined that the employer had repeatedly disregarded the safety of their employees despite the store’s internal documents that said the stockroom was unsafe – calling it a “hazard [Dollar Tree] knew of and could plainly see.”

The store has 30 days after receiving a violation to file for an appeal, but Oregon OSHA Administrator Renée Stapleton chose to double the fine to encourage the employer to take the hazard more seriously than before.

“Ensuring employees are protected from harm by implementing clearly recognized and legally obligated safety measures must remain a priority for any employer,” Stapleton said. “Willfully and knowingly disregarding such safety measures is absolutely inexcusable.”